CIRCA Restaurant & Lounge

i've only been here once and it was for a club type of party. i was really impressed with the venue. there ws lots of seating around and the bar in the middle. there was a little vip area upstairs with their own bar. it was carpeted which is really nice, but i can't imagine what the owner was thinking when he decided to use the place as a club.

My friend and I arrived at 5pm and had a drink at the bar so that we could be prompt for our 5:30pm reservations. This restaurant starts it's dinner service at 5:30pm, so there were not many people in the place when we asked to be seated. The male Maitre d' took my buddy and I over to a postage stamp sized table to seat us. I went for the nearby booth that was made up for four, explaining that I'm a big guy and would prefer not to sit at such a small table. The Maitre d's attitude made it clear that he was not pleased, and when I pointed out that the place had hardly any patrons, he snooted that "it fills up fast!" Obviously, if we had arrived at the busiest time of the dining hour we would have had to take whatever was available, but at this time of the evening it was unnecessary, especially as the place was still only halfway occupied by the time we were ready to leave. My dinner was tasty! I appreciate restaurants that give quality rather than quantity, but when they make it clear that their ability to fill tables is more important than your comfortable, leisurely dining then I will go elsewhere to find both. And in this town that's not hard to do at all!

From S.F. Chronicle - "THE INSIDE SCOOP"

The corner of Chestnut and Fillmore -- the starting point for those walking the Marina drag -- is a prime San Francisco location.

At the end of June, the restaurant went through yet another incarnation. The name changed to Circa, and when the place reopens in September, the menu will be different as well.

Chef Erik Hopfinger will re-do the grill's pub grub menu into upscale comfort food, the style that made him a Chronicle Rising Star Chef in 2002 at Spoon, the forerunner of Tablespoon (2209 Polk St., near Vallejo).

"The Marina has matured over the past five years, and we want to create a sophisticated venue that better represents the taste of the neighborhood," says Suverkrubbe. "We want to get away from bar and grill, and really want to make the place more respected as a restaurant."

San Francisco's Michael Brennan, who designed Cortez and Boca, is doing the redesign. He says the word swank comes to mind, but the space still has to appeal to the Marina nightlife crowd and the Sunday brunchers (one and the same?). He plans to add a large-party booth in the center and cozy banquettes along the wall for a lounge effect. And, lest I forget, he'll put in columns, and have 10-foot crystal chandeliers dripping from the ceiling.

Hopfinger's menu will fit that lounge-y style, with modern classics served in shareable sizes. We're talking Dungeness crab tater tots, PB&J foie gras -- with house-made peanut butter sauce and blueberry demi-glace -- and a cupcake sampler dessert.

The 25-item menu will come in small plates priced between $4 and $10, or in larger family-style plates for $12 to $19. And, first-daters, the food is being designed so you don't make a dribbling mess.

The wine list is being crafted by Mark Bright, who also consults for Oola and Dosa. He's discontinuing the current all-American list and mixing it up with international wines, focusing on smaller producers. Plus, he's pushing for winemaker dinners and more Champagne by the glass.